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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 43m

Do you live in Washington, DC?

I’m tired of only talking to industry folks on Zoom calls and want to meet up with people IRL. If you live in the area and want to grab coffee, lunch, or after-dinner drinks, reach out to me.

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 13h

This is a fascinating interview with YouTuber Airrack, a “spectacle” creator in the same mold as MrBeast. He explains how he once chased increasingly bigger and more expensive stunts, only to realize that beyond roughly 10 million subscribers, the returns on that kind of content start to diminish. E

The Airrack Interview

YouTube video by Jon Youshaei

youtu.be

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 15h

Politico created an invite-only text messaging list that mainly consists of only congress members and their staffers. It's fairly conservative in deciding what news to push out via text message with the hope that the recipients will think of it as a truly valuable information source, not just more n

How Politico is using text messages to boost engagement on Capitol Hill

Politico has started texting an invite-only group on Capitol Hill so its breaking news coverage gets to their phone lock screens.

pressgazette.co.uk

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 16h

It’s remarkable how much Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has been vindicated in his push toward non-music audio. By expanding aggressively into podcasts and other spoken-word formats, Spotify created a lock-in effect that made users far more likely to choose it over competitors offering the same music catalog

Spotify’s Audiobook Listeners Grew 36% in Second Year of Service

The number of people trying audiobooks and the number of hours streamed have increased annually

www.bloomberg.com

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 20h

I've always wondered why Instagram and TikTok haven't been more aggressive about launching connected TV apps, especially considering YouTube has built such a massive business off its TV viewership. Probably their biggest challenging is designing their apps to account for the more passive nature of s

Instagram Is ‘Exploring’ a Dedicated TV App in Video Push

Instagram is exploring building a dedicated TV app as part of a deeper push into video, a move that could get Instagram videos in front of more viewers and also provide more competition for YouTube, w...

www.bloomberg.com

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 21h

One of the biggest reasons the largest Hollywood studios are struggling is because the executives who run them have no growth strategies beyond acquiring more studios, a move that just saddles the parent company with more and more debt. These conglomerates aren't having a tough time competing with

The Paramount and Warner Bros. Assets That Would Make a Media Behemoth

A sprawling array of streaming, cable and film properties could position a combined company to better compete with media and tech giants.

www.wsj.com

Reposted by Simon Owens

The Fix Media @thefixmedia.bsky.social · 21h

"A lot of traditional media companies have huge audiences on YouTube and TikTok, but if you look at their actual content, they’re not really monetising it in any way," @simonowens.bsky.social argues.

📍 Find out what publishers can learn from creators in the interview 👉 thefix.media/2025/09/15/w...

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 22h

I've always thought the death of late night comedy was greatly exaggerated -- it's just that a huge portion of its audience has migrated to platforms like YouTube. The problem for the Jimmy Kimmels of the world is that their parent companies haven't shown much interest in fully monetizing these onli

Late night TV thrives on YouTube. Which is a problem for Jimmy Kimmel, and everyone else on late night TV.

Maybe we shouldn't call late-night TV "late-night TV" anymore — everyone watches it the next day, on the internet.

www.businessinsider.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 23h

Publishers with high-priced subscriptions are experimenting with allowing readers to subscribe to individual newsletters at a lower price. They see it as a way of pulling in more price conscious consumers without cannibalizing or devaluing their main subscription.

digiday.com/media/media-...

Media Briefing: Publishers use standalone newsletter subscriptions to convert more readers

Publishers like Bloomberg, the FT, Axios and The Ankler are using different kinds of standalone newsletter subscriptions to grow revenue and convert readers around popular products.

digiday.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 23h

It's a sign of microdramas' rising popularity that SAG-AFTRA is coming out with union contracts tailored to them, but it also highlights Hollywood’s growing desperation to attach itself to any part of the entertainment industry that’s still expanding. For now, most microdrama platforms run on shoest

SAG-AFTRA Gets In the Verticals Game

The union will be circulating a new agreement for microdramas with budgets under $300,000 later this month.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 1d

Every creator and media company of sufficient size eventually convinces themselves that they can make better marketing content than Madison Avenue ad firms, but these companies don't scale very well. Not only is there a lot of competition in the space, but Fortune 500 companies have fairly limited b

Exclusive | ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcaster Alex Cooper Opens an Unwell Ad Agency

Multiyear deal with Google kicks off Unwell Creative Agency’s formal entry into the advertising business, which is increasingly attracting celebrity entrepreneurs.

www.wsj.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 1d

I think there's a real argument that liberals have made significant headway in building out their own media infrastructure that can serve as a true counterweight to rightwing media. Today, there are multiple left-leaning video podcasts — like MeidasTouch, The Bulwark, and Pod Save America — that at

‘We’re fighting for you!’ Podcaster Ben Meiselas on taking on the Maga media – and winning the ratings battle

His channel, MeidasTouch, puts out 15 videos a day exposing Republican failings – and it is getting bigger audiences than Joe Rogan’s. Is this the champion the American left has been waiting for?

www.theguardian.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 1d

In just a year, two self-aware tech bros built a livestreamed podcast that, while not commanding massive audiences, has become must-watch viewing for venture capitalists and top tech executives. Unlike CNBC, which focuses on publicly traded companies, TPBN zeroes in on private firms—mainly startups—

What if SportsCenter and LinkedIn Merged?

www.nytimes.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 3d

DC’s Snallygaster beer festival is my Christmas.

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 4d

In 2003, Stuart Schuffman was a proto influencer. Instead of making TikTok videos about his favorite San Francisco restaurants, he stapled together a print zine and sold it at book stores and coffee shops. He had no idea it would turn him into a local celebrity.

How a San Francisco print zine evolved into a thriving local blog

Stuart Schuffman became a local celebrity through his Broke-Ass Stuart media brand.

simonowens.substack.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 5d

Who's a creator or media entrepreneur you'd love to see me interview for my newsletter and/or podcast?

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 5d

I don't know that I subscribe to the view in this piece that CBS News is a doomed institution no matter who runs it; in just the past 10 years we've seen legacy news organizations that were on the decline pull themselves out of their death spiral and return to their former glory -- the two most pro

Memo to Bari Weiss Re: CBS News: You’re doomed

Bari Weiss has sold her company, The Free Press, to manage the decline of broadcast news at CBS. How many ways can it go wrong?

www.theverge.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 5d

I ultimately don't think it would be a big deal to Substack if the Free Press were to "leave" the platform. While the Free Press does generate a not-insignificant portion of Substack's revenue, that's just the nature of publishing platforms -- outlets will move on and off.

For Substack, The Free Press’ Sale Is a Tenuous Victory

If the publisher leaves the platform, it could puncture a key thesis and take a chunk of revenue with it

www.adweek.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 5d

Netflix's foray into video games has always seem half-hearted to me. It's clear the company isn't willing to invest the money required to build a truly blockbuster game studio, but my guess is that its gaming strategy basically boils down to making its service slightly more sticky. If even a porti

Netflix Brings Video Games to Its TV Service for First Time

Netflix Inc. wants you to play Boggle in between binges of Stranger Things.

www.bloomberg.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 5d

It seems like Vox Media, perhaps more than any other large media company, has really hit its stride with partnering with outside creators, at least in the podcast space. Its value add is that it can not only handle ad sales for independent podcasters, but also leverage its massive distribution to he

New Podcast From Twitch Streamers Is Making Over $58,000 a Month on Patreon

The business show Lemonade Stand has an audience that is 91% male and 60% Gen Z

www.bloomberg.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 6d

The best media businesses are the accidental media businesses. Eric Coffie launched his YouTube channel because he got tired of answering basic questions about government contracting. He had no idea how big his audience would get.

simonowens.substack.com/p/how-a-gove...

How a government contractor built a media empire around his niche content

Eric Coffie built out multiple revenue streams, including online courses, events, and a paid community.

simonowens.substack.com

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 6d

In the 1990s, Kevin Costner became one of the most bankable actors, starring in hit after hit after hit, but then his career took a tumble when he became know for being difficult to work with. In the late 2010s, the show Yellowstone revived his stardom after it became the highest-rated drama on TV,

How Kevin Costner Lost Hollywood

On-set brawls. Courtroom battles. Epic bombs. Why the world's most bankable cowboy is suddenly shooting blanks.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

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Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 6d

Dear Krispy Kreme employees, I know you think you're being charming when you memorize our go-to donut orders, but all you're doing is shaming us.

I want you to pretend this is the first time you've met me.

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 6d

Well, when you put it that way...

Simon Owens @simonowens.bsky.social · 6d

I can’t tell if Nvidia is engaging in a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme by investing hundreds of billions of dollars into the very companies that buy its chips.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Nvidia to Finance Musk’s xAI Chips as Part of $20 Billion Deal

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is raising more financing than initially planned, tapping backers including Nvidia Corp. to lift its ongoing funding round to $20 billion, according to ...

www.bloomberg.com

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